Various countertop cooking appliances exist in the art today. Jenn, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,320, teach an electric countertop cooking unit having a centrally located downdraft blower system for capturing and exhausting to atmosphere cooking byproducts and heated air. Davis, U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,819, shows a drop-in gas cooktop unit having provisions for air to enter the space between the cooktop and the bottom burner pan through openings in vertical side flanges.
Happel, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,444,805, teach an electric downdraft unit especially for broiling meat. Berlik, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,954, disclose a gas downdraft range which utilizes modular cartridges to provide a grill unit or a surface burner unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,610, issued to Berlik, individually, discloses a gas surface range having modular burner cartridges and a downdraft ventilation system, which creates a current or flow of air that travels downwardly away from the cooking surface. The cartridges of Berlik's '610 patent are removable for repairing, cleaning or changing the configuration of the gas range top.
Moeller, U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,668, describes a ventilation apparatus for an indoor grill. U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,704 to Tucker, et al. also describes an indoor cooking ventilation system. Hawkins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,795, describes a cooktop grill having an improved reflector pan.
Roper, U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,827, relates to a downdraft countertop cooking range having a panel recessed below the countertop for enhanced accessibility from the front of the range and to exhaust cooking fumes effectively over the entire area of the cooking panel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,729 to Beach describes a gas cooking appliance having improved ventilation means.
Further examples of countertop cooking ranges include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,102,533; 3,474,724; 3,596,650; 3,756,217; 3,797,375; 4,034,663; 4,335,705; D 207,369; and D 210,336.
Built-in countertop cooking appliances are available on the market from such manufacturers as Siemens-Electrogerate GmbH, Munich, Germany; Thermador of Los Angeles, Calif.; and Miele Appliances, Inc. of Somerset, N.J. Thermador manufactures modular cooktops of variable configuration.
The above background art notwithstanding, no prior countertop cooking system has provided modular components that permit the construction of cooking appliances of variable configuration and unitary appearance and that require reduced tooling and inventory.